Midwife's Marvel (River's End Ranch Book 29) Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  EPILOGUE

  Copyright © 2017, Caroline Lee

  [email protected]

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

  First edition: 2017

  This work is made available in e-book format by Amazon Kindle at www.amazon.com

  And in paperback format by CreateSpace at www.createspace.com

  Printing/manufacturing information for this book may be found on the last page

  Cover: EDHGraphics

  Dr. Joshua Hardy is at his wits’ end. It's bad enough that his beloved great-aunt is approaching dementia, and is always talking about hearing the fairies, but now she's insisting they want to talk to him too! To a scientist like Joshua, the idea is preposterous…right up until the moment he meets Allison Ravenwing.

  Allison is proud of the work she does for the laboring mamas of Riston, and she doesn't consider her life lacking. At forty, she's set in her ways and knows what she wants from life: conversations with her little brother, her grandmother's special tea, and the look of wonder on a mother's face as she meets her baby for the first time. But Allison can't deny that sharing conversations, successes, and challenges with Joshua brings a new kind of joy to her heart.

  As Joshua is struggling with his aunt's revelations, a mysterious something leads a desperate pair of orphans right into his heart, and Joshua and Allison need to make some difficult decisions about their comfortable lives. Do they maintain the status quo, or opt for something truly... Marvelous.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  EPILOGUE

  Other works by Caroline Lee

  River’s End Ranch:

  Check out Caroline’s bestselling historical romances:

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  Midwife’s Marvel

  River’s End Ranch

  Book Twenty-Nine

  Dedication:

  For Allison, Alyssa, Emily, Mary, Alice-Ann, Kim and Shannyn,

  and all the midwives and doulas

  whose ability to support and uplift other women

  make them superheroes in my book.

  (And sometimes makes me cry.)

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Have another cookie, dear.”

  Joshua Hardy waved away his great-aunt’s offer. “No thank you. Three is more than enough.” Her snickerdoodles were delicious as always, but he couldn’t eat them like he was a kid anymore.

  “How’s your tea? Do you need more milk? Honey? Is it too hot?”

  “It’s lovely, Aunt Jaclyn. Thank you.”

  He sat back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other, lifting his tea cup for another sip. Along with the cookies, Aunt Jaclyn always seemed to have a fresh pot of his favorite oolong tea brewing whenever he came to visit. Which, now that he was on permanent vacation here at River’s End Ranch, seemed to be every other day.

  The older woman sniffed, peering at him suspiciously. “I just want you to be happy, Joshy. You used to eat a dozen cookies every time you visited, you know. Are you sure they’re not too starchy? I could make another batch.”

  He smiled indulgently. “They’re delicious, Aunt Jaclyn. Thank you for making them every time I come over. I think I’ve put on five pounds from snickerdoodles alone since Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Wilber’s vow renewal in June.”

  “Hmmm.” She reached down to scoop up one of the ubiquitous rabbits she allowed free reign in her home and stroked its long ears. “You could stand a few extra pounds.”

  As she eyed his long-limbed frame, Joshua swallowed his sigh with a sip of tea. After thirty-five, it had become a struggle to maintain his weight, and his daily runs had extended to seven miles since coming to the ranch, just to counteract the snickerdoodles. Of course, it’s not like he didn’t have the time.

  “Yes, Aunt Jaclyn.”

  “You know, your grandfather used to say that exact thing.”

  His brows shot up. “What exact thing?”

  “ ‘Yes Aunt Jaclyn’ in that same patronizing tone whenever I started to say anything he thought was silly. Only he didn’t say ‘Aunt’ of course. Just the Jaclyn part. Very patronizing. ‘Go play in the mud, Jaclyn,’ ” she said in a sing-song voice. “As if I was an idiot. Of course, I suppose that’s what older brothers are for.”

  Joshua, who was a much-older brother to two siblings, and whose grandfather had died long before he was born, knew when to just nod and keep his mouth shut. This time, however, he let his wry sense of humor get the better of him. “Yes, Aunt Jaclyn.”

  “There!” She frowned at him. “See? Just like that. You’re doing it on purpose.”

  “No, Aunt Jaclyn.” He hid his smile.

  Her eyes narrowed. “The fairies didn’t tell me you’d be this difficult.”

  He loved his great-aunt, he really did. He’d spent his summers growing up here at the ranch, and he liked to think he and his mother’s favorite aunt had a special kind of bond. After all, this had been his favorite place when he was a child, thanks mainly to Jaclyn. And when he’d been younger, he thought of her as…eccentric. Odd, but lovable.

  Then he’d grown older, gone off to school. Gotten his PhD in chemical engineering for crying out loud! And now, her eccentricities—the dozens of rabbits she seemed to keep, her odd collection of garden gnomes she spoke to, and her insistence that the “fairies” had some kind of influence on the lives of those around her—seemed less harmless.

  When she began to speak about the fairies, Joshua knew it was time they said goodbye. Leaning forward, he uncrossed his legs and placed the teacup and saucer beside the plate of snickerdoodles on the table in front of him. “Well, Aunt Jaclyn, this has been lovely—as always—but I really do need to be going.”

  The older woman’s frowned deepened. “Don’t think I don’t notice what you’re doing.”

  Joshua pretended confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “You do this all the time. Whenever I mention the fairies, you get up and leave.”

  Oh dear. He’d hoped she hadn’t noticed, but apparently she had. Was now the right time to bring it up? Was now the right time to mention his worries about her aging brain, and suggest she might want to be tested for something like dementia?

  He looked across the coffee table at the woman who’d helped raise him all those years ago. The woman who was always there with open arms—and snickerdoodles—when he’d needed someone to talk to.

  No, he wasn’t ready to have that talk with her just yet.

  Still, that didn’t mean he needed to stick around and listen to her chat about the fairies as if they were real. He forced a smile. “I don’t know what
you’re talking about, Aunt Jaclyn. I just need to get back to my room and—”

  “And nothing! You get all antsy whenever I talk about the fairies, or the gnomes, or—”

  “Or Bigfoot or fairy godmothers or unicorns or…” Joshua waved a hand dismissively. “Or whatever other nonsense you come up with.”

  His aunt narrowed her eyes. “Godmothers are not nonsense.”

  Of all the things she could’ve defended, that’s the one she chose? “Oh, really?” He didn’t bother keeping the skepticism out of his voice.

  “Really. I have an invitation around here somewhere from the guild…” She wrinkled her nose in thought—there was a definite resemblance between her and the gray rabbit sitting on her lap—and peered at the end table, as if she were considering where the paper was hidden.

  “The Guild of Godmothers?” he asked blandly.

  “Yes,” she answered distractedly. “A long and noble sisterhood, and all that jazz. They’re based down in Everland, Wyoming.”

  How utterly preposterous. “Well, there you go. Everland is near Haskell in what has got to be the ugliest part of the West. You would hate it there, especially since this is what you’re used to.” He gestured to the summer beauty outside his aunt’s window. “This is why I didn’t renew my contract when the project finished down in Haskell; I needed to come back home.”

  She stared at him for several moments longer than was comfortable, examining him like a bug under a microscope. Had he succeeded in distracting her from her original complaint?

  “Hmmm.” She hadn’t lost her suspicious tone. “The fairies don’t think you—“

  Guess not. Joshua sighed. She was doing it again. “Okay, well, it’s time for me to go now.” He placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself upright, preparing to reach over and give her a goodbye hug.

  “Sit down, boy.”

  Her snapped command took him by surprise, which was probably her point, and he dropped back into the chair, blinking.

  When was the last time someone had called him “boy”? At forty-two, it certainly wasn’t a nickname he’d heard lately. On the other hand, he supposed if anyone had the right to call him that, it was Aunt Jaclyn. He’d always thought of her as ancient, right up until he’d turned thirty… Which was when he’d had the realization seventy wasn’t so far away.

  Still, he wasn’t a boy anymore. “Now, listen here, Aunt Jaclyn—”

  “No, you listen here, Joshy.” She took a deep breath and the lines in her face seemed to soften. Sitting back in her chair, she began to stroke the rabbit’s ears again as she silently contemplated Joshua. After a long moment, she said, “I’m so proud of you and all that you accomplished—making all that money, being able to do what you want with your life. I’m even prouder of your book, even though it’s all utter mumbo-jumbo to me. But you’re not happy, Joshy. I can tell.” She cocked her head. “And I can also tell that speaking about the fairies makes you uncomfortable, right?”

  Well, there was no use denying it. He shrugged. “I’m a rocket scientist, Aunt Jaclyn. I’m sorry I don’t believe in the fairies, and whatever it is you think they tell you.”

  She stared at him for a few heartbeats longer than was comfortable. Finally, she nodded. “Was there ever a point in your studies, Joshy, where something just didn’t make sense to you? Where you knew there was something else going on, but it was just out of your reach?”

  Joshua nodded. “Of course. Pretty much my whole third year in the PhD program was like that.”

  “And what did you do when faced with that situation?”

  “I studied.” He shrugged. “I read books, asked questions. I kept going, until I understood it.”

  “And at any point, did you ever involve your heart?”

  Joshua blinked. What kind of question was that? “It’s science, Aunt Jaclyn,” he explained patiently. “My heart doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “Yes,” his aunt said sadly, “I suspect that’s the problem.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He was beginning to get uncomfortable.

  “It means, dear boy, that you’re feeling so lost right now, because your heart isn’t involved. You came back to River’s End Ranch for the Westons’ vow renewal and to see all of your old friends. Your heart called you back here, but now you’re ignoring it.”

  “And what do you think my heart is trying to tell me?” he asked indulgently.

  She didn’t answer for a while, just stared at him, her head tilted slightly. Finally, her wrinkled cheeks lifted into a smile. “Your grandfather, God rest his soul, never believed in the fairies either, you know. Your mother did, at least when she was younger. They would speak to her too.”

  Joshua shifted uneasily. It was one thing for Jaclyn to talk about the fairies, but to insinuate that Mom was weak-minded as well? He wondered if he could leave now without offending his great aunt.

  The old woman took a deep breath. “And since you’ve been here, Joshy, they haven’t shut up about you.”

  “Me?” He couldn’t stop the question before it had slipped free.

  “They’ve been trying to talk to you. Just like they speak to me, just like they spoke to your mother. They can tell you’ve got the heart for it, but your mind is closed to them.”

  This is ridiculous. Joshua planted his hands on his knees once more, preparing to stand. “Aunt Jaclyn—“

  “Just listen!” she snapped. “Just close your eyes and listen.”

  He held her stare as long as he could, but then sighed in defeat and closed his eyes. “What am I supposed to be listening to?”

  “Open your heart, boy, and listen around you. What is your heart telling you?”

  He was a scientist. He didn’t have time for this nonsense. Still, he owed her respect and love, so he did what Aunt Jaclyn asked. He listened.

  Slowly, the sniffs and shuffles of the dozens of rabbits around him slowly receded until he could hear his great aunt’s breath as she inhaled and exhaled, and the sound of his own heartbeat pulsing through his veins. He could hear the faint tinkle of the fairy wind chime Jaclyn kept in her kitchen, turning even without the breeze, and the leaves rustling outside the window. With his eyes closed, he could even imagine he heard the distant happy cries of children enjoying all the ranch had to offer. All around him, the ranch was blooming. He felt as if he could hear the mountains groaning, the river roiling, and the flowers budding.

  It was a heady feeling.

  “Yes,” Jaclyn whispered from across the table. “You hear her, don’t you?”

  “Hear who?” he whispered back, not sure he wanted to break the spell.

  “The land. All around us, calling us. You’ve opened your heart, boy, and I’m so proud of you.”

  Joshua’s eyes flashed open. Is that what he’d done? He’d given her exactly what she’d wanted? “I don’t think that’s what happened, Aunt.”

  She scoffed. “Don’t dismiss this, Joshy, just because you don’t understand it. Close your eyes again. Listen to what your heart is telling you.”

  He didn’t want to—didn’t want to get sucked into something so illogical—but he did it anyway, for her. He closed his eyes, quieted his mind, and focused on… On what? On his heart? This is dumb.

  “What does your heart have to say?”

  “It’s telling me I need to go.”

  Instead of poo-pooing his obvious attempt to find an excuse to leave, Jaclyn hmmmm’d quietly. “And where is it telling you to go?”

  Where? He would’ve assumed back to the room in the main house he’d been renting for the last two months, but…but something else was tugging at him. Something he hadn’t expected. “Will.”

  “Will Weston?”

  He’d seen the younger man a few times since returning to the ranch, but summer was always a busy time for Will. Joshua knew Will and his wife were also preparing for the birth of their first child, so he wasn’t sure why the other man’s name had suddenly popped into his mind.


  Or was it his heart?

  Slowly, he nodded. “Yeah. I think…” He opened his eyes. “I think I’ll walk over to Will’s house and see what he’s up to.”

  His great-aunt’s face pulled into a wide smile. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Joshy. A truly wonderful idea.”

  “Everything looks really good,” Allison Ravenwing said as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink. “You’re having a healthy pregnancy, and the best news is, at thirty-seven weeks, you are officially full-term now! I know that seems like forever, but you’re almost at the finish line.”

  From the living room, Allison heard Will Weston release a big sigh of relief, and his Border Collie Indy yip happily. His wife, on the other hand, groaned.

  “You mean I have another three weeks of this? I miss being able to reach my toes!”

  Allison hid her smile and kept silent. Ellie didn’t need to be reminded many first-time mothers went longer than the usual forty weeks. If need be, they’d cross that bridge when they got there, as Grandmother used to say.

  As she dried her hands, she watched as Will lovingly helped his wife up into a seated position on the couch. Ellie, like most mothers who contracted Allison’s services, seemed to find a lot of comfort in being tended in her own home. Here, she was surrounded by her own furnishings, and her husband’s beautiful paintings of the local river that hung on every wall. Ellie found she preferred this comfortable and familiar atmosphere rather than the stark and impersonal environment of a medical office.

  That comfort was one of the main explanations for the resurgence in popularity of midwifery. Of course, in the more traditional circles, it had never really fallen out of fashion. Allison had learned many of the tricks she now used from her grandmother, who had learned from her grandmother. Among the Salish—sometimes called the Flathead Indians—being a midwife was sometimes a family trade. And just like her grandmother before her, Allison did everything she could to make her patients comfortable.